The Universal Orlando is an amusement park resort located in Orlando, Florida. It features two theme parks, Universal Studios Florida and Universal's Islands of Adventure, built on 107 acres (43 ha) and 101 acres (41 ha) of land, respectively.[1][2] Both parks feature several attractions and shows based on movies produced by Universal Pictures. After several delays during construction, Universal Studios Florida opened to the public on June 7, 1990; however, several of the park's major attractions experienced frequent mechanical and technical problems, forcing the rides to close. Eventually, Universal filed a lawsuit against the manufacturer of Jaws, an attraction that was based on the film.[3][4][5] Three years later, Universal announced the construction of a second theme park, Islands of Adventure, that officially opened on May 28, 1999.[6][7]
One of the most popular additions to the resort is The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, an incorporation of the Harry Potter franchise.[8][9] Opened in 2010, part of the Lost Continent area of the Islands of Adventure park was re-themed to Places in Harry Potter. Also, a replica of Hogwarts was constructed, with a dark ride, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, located inside.[10][11][12] In 2014, an area themed after Diagon Alley opened in the former location of Jaws within Universal Studios Florida.[11] This addition included Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, as well the Hogwarts Express based on the Hogwarts Express that allows guests to travel between Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley without actually having to exit either park.[12][13]
In 2015, Universal permanently installed metal detectors at three of their roller coasters. These were Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, the defunct Dragon Challenge and The Incredible Hulk Coaster.[14] The metal detectors would also be added to VelociCoaster in 2021.[15]
Attractions[edit]
Roller coasters[edit]
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit's vertical lift hill
Motion simulators[edit]
Hogwarts contains Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey within.
Other rides[edit]
Splashdown on Jurassic Park: The Ride
Live shows and play areas[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ Denotes the requirement that guests must have an admission ticket that allows visits to both Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure.
- ^ Denotes that height requirements are in inches.
References[edit]
- ^ "Universal Studios Florida Fact Sheet" (PDF). Universal Orlando Resort. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ^ "Universal's Islands of Adventure Fact Sheet" (PDF). Universal Orlando Resort. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ^ Oliver, Mike (June 8, 1990). "Universal: Stardust And Static". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ^ "Travel Advisory". The New York Times. September 30, 1990. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ^ Strother, Susan (January 31, 1990). "Universal Delays Park Opening Date Pushed To June". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ^ "Company News; Universal to Expand Park in Florida". The New York Times. September 16, 1993. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ^ "Islands Park to Debut May 28". Lakeland Ledger. May 12, 1999. p. 25. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ^ Pedicini, Sandra (October 23, 2014). "Harry Potter sends Comcast's theme park revenue soaring". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on January 22, 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
- ^ Bilbao, Richard (June 18, 2014). "Harry Potter Hogsmeade's spell still strong after four years". Orlando Business Journal. Archived from the original on January 22, 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
- ^ Albright, Mark (June 1, 2007). "A whole new magic kingdom". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
- ^ a b Lambert, Marjie (October 20, 2014). "3 Disney attractions close to make way for next wave". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ a b Bevil, Dewayne (July 31, 2014). "Hogsmeade vs. Diagon Alley: Sizing up 2 Potter 'worlds'". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on November 5, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ Neumaier, Joe (October 28, 2014). "'Harry Potter' still casting spells – with new theme park, London hotel, short story coming up". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on November 5, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ "Metal detectors become permanent at 3 Universal rides".
- ^ "One-word review for Universal's new VelociCoaster: Relentless".
External links[edit]
- Attractions at Universal Studios Florida
- Attractions at Islands of Adventure